Few teams have had as strong of an offseason as the Denver Nuggets. They traded starter Michael Porter Jr. and replaced him with four rotation players, including adding a backup center.
The Nuggets already have Jonas Valanciunas at backup center, and they just got clarification about his future with the team. However, Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic may become available on the buyout market. And if Valanciunas isn't working out, then the Nuggets could be a dark horse team to sign him during the season.
While that wouldn't be able to offer him a starting role with Nikola Jokic obviously filling that, they could pay him more than other contenders could. After all, they still have full access to their $14.1 million mid-level exception.
The Nuggets wouldn't use all of it, but they could use between $5 million and $7 million of it to try and lure him to Denver.
Does Nikola Vucevic make sense for the Denver Nuggets?
Whether Vucevic makes sense for the Nuggets depends on how good (or bad) Valanciunas is. Valanciunas was a longtime starter but will settle into a role as a low-minutes backup center.
If he can crash the glass, score in the paint, and hit the occasional three, then he should be more than fine backing up Jokic. He should still have enough in the tank to do that, though the drama surrounding him potentially signing with a Greek team raises questions.
He confirmed that he will play for the Nuggets next season, but will his heart be in it? If it's not then, he could struggle to fill a small but incredibly valuable role for Denver. That's where Vucevic could potentially come in.
Vucevic might not be the only buyout candidate for the Nuggets
Even though he has his defensive limitations, he was wildly productive last season for the Chicago Bulls. He posted nearly 19 points per game and also averaged 10.1 rebounds and drilled 40.2% from three.
Normally those player types would be out of the Nuggets reach. But he is 34 and a half years old, and the Bulls have failed to trade him despite him being on the block for more than a year. If Valanciunas falls flat and Vucevic is bought out, then the Nuggets could and should scoop him up.
However, if Valanciunas does work out, then the Nuggets might be better served pursuing another buyout candidate, Malcolm Brogdon. He'd give Denver a pure backup point guard and has historically been a terrific shooter, potentially filling two needs for the minimum.
All in all, the Nuggets have options in case one of their off-season moves doesn't work out. In that case, Vucevic or Brogdan would make perfect sense for Denver.